PvP Flaming Rabies Druid by Verashiden and Karp

maxicek

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Verashiden and Karp's guide to the 1.11b Flaming Rabies Druid

Flaming Rabies v1.00
updated Feb. 26, 2007

It has been many moons since patch 1.11 came out, and with it a number of 1.10 builds were made practically useless. No longer do items grant synergies, such as the carrion wind ring acting as a lvl 21 synergy to rabies, and the molten boulder charges acting as a lvl 16 synergy to Fireclaws. New ways to achieve power have to be thought of, and that is the point of this guide. This is going to be a very comprehensive guide to the PvP Flaming Rabies druid for patch 1.11b+ (credit to ~Kazama Fury~ for the name). With the new need to invest many skill points to synergize your main attack skills, which will be Fireclaws, Rabies, and Fissure, it is really necessary to allocate them correctly, because any misplaced points can hurt you as your druid continues to grow in levels and power.

The main disadvantage in 1.11+ flaming rabies is obviously that you can't max out lycanthropy and oak sage anymore lest your damage from one of the skills suffer greatly. Fortunately though, druids have great life bonuses and the high amount of +skills makes it possible to carry this build into the 7k+ life range. I managed nearly 8,000 life on an Enigma-based build, using base lycanthropy and a single point into oak sage, but after battle orders from the Call to Arms runeword.

There are a few ways to build this hybrid. Depending on your particular likes, dislikes, and the needs of where you commonly duel, you will have the option of at least three very viable full gear setups and skill allocations.

Stats:

Only place enough strength for your heaviest item, after considering + stats from items like Enigma and Hellfire Torch.
Get just enough dexterity for maximum block.
Everything else goes into Vitality.
Nothing goes into Energy.

Skills:

Max Rabies
Max Fireclaws
Max Fissure

These are your attacks. So it’s common sense to max them.

You will have one point in the following skills:

Werewolf
Lycanthropy
Werebear
Maul
Feral Rage
Oak Sage

The next part is debatable:

You can max:

Poison Creeper
Fissure
Rest into Volcano

OR, you can maximize Fireclaws output and place points into poison creeper until you get the damage output you are comfortable with for rabies

With maxed Rabies, Poison Creeper, Fireclaws, Fissure, and the rest into Volcano (at lvl 91) The build will have 40-50k Rabies and ~8600 Fireclaws damage. If, however, you go the other route, you can expect 30-40k Rabies and 11-12k Fireclaws damage. The latter build is my personal preference. Pump Fireclaws until you hit the magic number, then add the rest to Poison Creeper. I personally ended up with 10 hard points into Creeper.

Now for a list of your gear choices.

Charms:

You will want to use 9x Shapeshifting skill charms with as much + life as possible.
Hellfire Torch +3 Druid Skills.
Annihilus unique small charm +1 all skills.
10x Steel Small Charms of Vita.

Weapons:

Phase Blade: 4x Shael 2x jewels - Not a lot of physical damage. However this does hit max frames for attacking. In FC's case that's a must in order to pump out enough damage to kill. Main preference seems to go for 2x 15 IAS/ 15 Res All jewels.

Griswold’s Redemption Caduceus: three Shael/XX jewels of Fervor Lo - Higher Physical damage than the Phase Blade. Though it seems negligible the Deadly Strike makes up for that margin. However, this weapon is slower than the Phase Blade by two frames for Fireclaw and one frame slower Rabies (if you use ED/IAS jewels instead of Shaels).

Ethereal Breath of the Dying Berserker Axe: Massive damage when compared to both of the above. However this thing hits a MASSIVELY slow nine frame Fire Claw, ouch!

Red Phase Blade: 4x Shael 2x Eth - This is an interesting idea. IIRC -defense works at 50% efficiency PvP. Still, cutting a 40k def Pally's def down to 30k is a huge chunk that can't be ignored. Coupled with the Werewolf’s nice Attack Rating you may not need an Angelic Combo in your stash.

Jeweler’s Phase Blade of Quickness - Should you want to make other Druids cry you can sport this insanely rare item. Druid collectors everywhere would give an arm and a leg for this so be proud! Socket it according to the regular PB minus two Shaels.

Death’s Web Unearthed Wand - This is the switch weapon to get. With a facet, it can offer up to -55% poison resists, making Rabies the Barb slayer you know to love it as. It also can have up to +2 skills, making it worthy of a prebuff weapon as well.

+30 Fire Damage/ - 30 Fire resist Phase Blade - If you want to beat someone that you just can't seem to get close to, and you know that they aren't stacking that much fire res, you can always use this in conjunction with a +20/-20res Monarch to do some MAJOR damage with fissures.

Two Handers:

Ethereal Breath of the Dying Great Pole Axe: Massive damage weap with the much needed range 5. Hits 7 frame FC which makes it decent. The 30 to all attributes is nothing to scoff at either.

Ethereal Tomb Reaver Cryptic Axe: 2x ED/IAS or Shael, Zod - Another high damage weap. This one only hits range 4 but offers resistances for casters. With RES/IAS jewels it'll hit 7 frame FC. With shaels it'll hit 6 frame FC. This is a great weapon to use in conjunction with Fortitude Armor, if you built with enough strength.

Non Ethereal Tomb Reaver: 2x Shael 1x Eth - Lower damage than its Ethereal counter part this Tomb Reaver cuts down on the opponents defense though. Most opponents will take off DR anyway when they see you use FC. So this weapon will back an impressive punch no matter if they stack their res. All at 6 frames too.

Red Giant Thresher: 4x Shael 2x Eth - Same idea as the Red PB. Hits 6 frame FC with range 5

Doom Great Poleaxe - +2 skills to pump your damage, range 5 to make it easier to hit casters and to outrange smiters, and holy freeze, to help keep some pressure off vs. melee attacks. All around good stats, but you will attack at 8 frames per attack with fc in wolf form.

Armors:

Enigma - Classic choice. The Faster Run/Walk can help catch those pesky running Zons for that one Rabies bite to end the fight. + skills help the damage out. One also can't forget the life and massive strength bonus awarded by it. It can also be useful for laying fissures, or for a quick escape after getting a rabies bite in. Always make this in a lightweight, low strength required armor. Breast Plate, Light Plate or Mage Plate are great.

Chains of Honor - High end resists combined with +2 skills, some DR, and a nice chunk of strength make this a very nice armor to deal with casters. This armor lacks the Faster Run/Walk of Enigma, however, it seems to fill more of the holes this build lacks.

Duress - FHR, OW, a bit of res. This armor is cheaper than the above armors but still packs a wallop. At the higher levels Open Wounds can trash any opponent when combined with Rabies. You will lose some damage to your main attacks, but will gain some versatility in other areas, especially if you PvM. The FHR offered here can also allow you to switch some other gear around for more life/damage. Not many weaknesses to this armor and very nice all around choice.

Lion Heart - Damage, Res, huge stat boost, life, and even reduces the requirements for you. A poor man's choice for armor but a strong contender none the less.

Bramble - A great anti melee armor. This thing greatly improves ones poison damage and also has the extra benefits of 50% FHR(huge) and THORNS (shut up, it's good). With enough life you can greatly improve your odds of winning since Rabies + Thorns will whittle them down enough to smack around a few times with FC. For added fun use those Spirit of Barbs charges >.>.

Fortitude - Almost forgot about this bad boy >.>. Res, life, 300% Enhanced Damage. It's not the best suited for an Fireclaw/Rabies Wolf since you'll normally be using low damage weapons anyways. However, it's still a decent choice, especially if you want to use an ethereal Tomb Reaver to attack with. Will actually allow you to net 4000+ physical damage. This is a great way to deal with casters and other people who attempt to make your elemental damages obsolete.

Facetted Armor/Jeweler of Whale/etc. - For the more suicidal types you can just ignore the holes in your build and go all out offense! Fire Facets seem to be the better choice since rabies will have the switch to improve it's damage exponentially. Has potential for an anti melee choice should you get your Damage Reduction from other sources. A great setup would be 4x Fire Facets in a 90+ life armor, used in conjunction with Stormshield and Verdungos Belt. Will improve Fireclaws and Fissure greatly, with only a small sacrifice to rabies. An expensive choice, however.

Belts:

Verdungo’s Hearty Cord Mythril Coil - Your standard belt. It offers a nice chunk of life, FHR, and DR. Most of the time you’ll be wearing this.

Arachnid Mesh Spiderweb Sash - This belt is the only belt giving + skills, increasing your damage output. This is the belt you should be using if you plan on shifting and deshifting a lot. The FCR will help with Teleport and may allow you to escape from a bad situation.

String of Ears Demonhide Sash - Poor man’s Dungo’s. Lacks the life and the FHR. However, it’s much more affordable.

Thundergod’s Vigor War Belt - The main purpose of this belt is to help nullify lightning damage coming your way. It also has 20 Str and Vit.

Snowclash Battle Belt - Used to nullify cold damage. That’s all really.

Trang-Oul’s Girth Troll Belt - CBF and a Massive life boost makes this belt viable. If you’re facing a melee character and want to use Dual Angelics this can offer you the CBF you’d otherwise be lacking in.

M’avina’s Tenet Shark Skin Belt - For those who love more FRW, this belts will do it for you. 20 FRW, that’s it.

Rare Belts - Stats to look for are FHR, Life, Str, and Res.

Gloves:

Trang-Oul’s Claws Heavy Bracers - FCR, Cold Res, but what's most important is the +25% to poison skills. These are the Rabies Wolf's choice gloves more times than not. If you're only expecting to get one or two hits in on the enemy then these should be the gloves you're wearing.

Dracul's Grasp - Strength, OW, and the odd chance to Life Tap. A decent glove that could save you on the rare occasions that Tap triggers. The OW is nice but other than that it's just a decent glove.

Bloodfist - Nice life, FHR, IAS (lol), and damage. These are normally the gloves of choice when you desperately need to hit a certain FHR break point. Upping these for style points is heavily recommended.

Rare Gloves - Not much to say here. They can be godly or crappy. Stats to look for are +strength, dexterity, and resistances.

Boots:

Aldurs' Advance set boots - They offer 40% R/W, +50 to life, and lots of fire resistances. These are the favored boots for the build if you are getting your FHR from somewhere else (i.e. Shaeled Jalals).

Gore Riders - What's not to love about these boots? They have OW, DS, and CB. The - req allows these to be upped without pouring a heinous amount of points into Str. However, these boots aren't incredibly useful if you're not using a higher damage weapon.

Waterwalk - Life, Dex, and + max fire res. These boots can take some of the sting out of Fire Sorcs possibly allowing that one fatal bite. The + Dex can save some skill points for max block, thus giving you more life.

Sandstorm Trek - FHR, Str, and Vit. These boots aren't as fast as the others. However, They can aid one in reaching a FHR break point. The stats can be needed however the lack of speed greatly hurts these boots.

Shadow Dancers - These boots give a healthy FRW and a massive 30% FHR. Tack on that they can get +25 Dex and these boots seem almost to be the boots of choice. The downside is that their Str req is pretty high. But in the end it's worth it.

Rare Boots - Tri res, FRW, FHR, and +stat boots are the stats to be looking for if you want rare boots.

Jewelry Combinations:

Raven, Bul Kathos’ Wedding Band, Mara’s Kaleidoscope - This setup grants +3 to skills (~1200 more Rabies damage and ~800 more FC damage) while keeping the needed CBF. Bul Kathos’ offers up to 49 additional life as well which isn’t shabby for this build. The + skills also add a great amount of life to your druid. This is the recommended choice.

2x Raven Frost + Metal Grid - This set up offers up to 40 Dex , +40 Cold Absorb, CBF, resists, a nice bonus to AR, and some additional Defense. This style lacks and + skills but adds a larger portion of AR than other setups.

Raven Frost, Angelic Wings Amulet, Angelic Halo Ring - This is normally the setup of choice when dealing with higher def characters. This setup offers 30 Dex, CBF, +95 life, and more AR then dual Raven Frosts.

Angelic Wings Amulet, 2x Angelic Halo Rings - This setup grants a massive chunk of AR, easily doubling what one would normally receive. It also offers 10 Dex and 115 life. This setup lacks CBF though which means that you’ll have to make it up somewhere else.

Rare Amulets - Mods to look for are +Druid Skills / Shape Shifting Skills, Str, Dex, Life, Res.

Helms:

Jalal's Mane - What's not to love about this thing? 20% Bonus to AR, Res, FHR, 20 Str, and 4 to SS skills. This is the all around helm of choice for most if not all Shapeshifters. Everything you could ever want in one package.

Cerebus' Bite - The three-headed demon dog's helm is another great choice for this build. It offers a HUGE AR bonus (up to 120%), 4 to SS skills, and OW. This should a choice helm for those who duel Smiters and high def Barbs on a regular basis. The lack of resists keeps this from being an all around helm, as does the lack of Str. If you hold both this and Jalal make sure you take into account the -20 Str you get from Cerebus when you do your stat point allocation.

Ravenlore - Mainly for the -fire res this helm can somewhat pump up the FC and Fissure damage. I'd personally choose Jalal over this but it can be used.

Crown of Ages - Skills, Res, FHR, DR, and up to two sockets. This helm combined with Storm Shield gives max DR, leaving the two sockets open for whatever your build is lacking. The Str req is a bit high. However, if you're going to be using Storm Shield then you have enough Str for this. If used with an Enigma or Chains of Honor, you can even use a 10% dr version with stormshield and have maximum Damage Reduced. Can allow you to get a very good faster Hit Recovery break point with two shaels. A very good choice indeed, but remember you will be sacrificing damage.

Shields:

Storm Shield - It wouldn't be a melee build without considering this power house. A high block, DR, 30 Str monster. Shaeling this improves blocking exponentially. However, some opt to Ber it for the DR. Regardless, this shield is the shield of choice if you duel any melee units.

Mosser's Circle - Not a bad shield at all. High block and some resistances make it good for mid level characters. With 2 sockets though you could make this shield useful for high lvl play. A possible "safer" version of the 4 faceted monarch switch.

Sanctuary - This Runeword grants insane block, Massive res, 20 Dex, and SLOW MISSLE. BM Necros annoying you? Run out, cast Slow Missle, shift, laugh. Very good anti elemental shield since it's easy to stack res when your shield gives 70 for you >.>.

20/-20 Monarch - Primarily used for Rabies switching, this shield with 4 Fire Facets can be used as a primary shield for FC. The problem with this is that you won’t have anywhere near max block, or any res. Still, in some cases the power added to FC makes it worth it.

Spirit Monarch - Normally used in conjunction with CTA, this shield boasts pitiful block, but grants some res, 2 skills, and a massive FHR bonus. For those who aren’t concerned about blocking this shield would only require you 1% more FHR with a non Shaeled Jalals to hit the 86 Break Point.

Full Gear Line Ups:

These line ups are merely suggested sets. Depending on the situation gear should be switched out. These are just generic.

General/All-Around Setup:
Shael Jalals
Maras, Raven, Bul Kathos
Storm Shield with Ber
110 ias 30 resist all Phase
Arachnids Mesh
Trang Gloves
Aldurs Advance

Anti Melee:
Cerebus
Highlord’s 2x Ravens/ Angelic Ammy 1x Angelic Ring 1x Raven Frost
Storm Shield
110ias/200 ar phase blade
Verdungo’s
Trang Gloves
Sandstorm Treks

Anti Caster:
Jalal’s
Maras, Bul Kathos, Ravenfrost
Spirit/Sanctuary
Enigma
Trang Gloves (Cold Sorcs) / Blood Fist
Sanstorm/Tri Res FRW boots
110ias phase/30 res
OR Tomb reaver with 2x shael/eth
 
Dueling Strategies:

Hammerdins:


If they aren't a Liberator (Hammer + Charge) then this match isn't too difficult. Use a Range 4 or 5 weapon. Be sure to run in random patterns so the Hammerdin can't set up a Hammer field for you. ALWAYS have 5 wolves out, especially if the Hammerdin is good at desynch. Computer AI can see through desynch and your wolves will start attacking if he closes in on you, warning of the impending Hammer drop. Normally, however, Hammerdins prefer to Tele on top of you and spam Hammers. If they do this take a step to the left (you should be in a Hammer blind spot) and start whacking away. I'd recommend hitting with Rabies first, that way you put the Hammerdin on a clock. However, if you think you can end it with just FC then don't be afraid to do so.

If they are a Liberator then things change drastically. Beware of sudden Grief Charges. If you're feeling skilled you can still go 2 hander and have a blocking setup on switch. Keep an eye on the Pally and hit W when you see him come in for cheap damage, block, switch, whack a few times, repeat. With this setup though Rabies won't be a kill condition, more like a scare tactic.

Smiters:

The other high numbered cookie cutter. This one can be handled in 2 ways. The normal way to go about this is to stack up on Rabies damage. Walk around and bite once or twice when the Smiter attacks. If you infect him with Rabies then quickly Rabies switch then begin walking away. Normally he'll charge at you. When you block his charge, whack him a few times with FC then walk away again. Unless he has super stacked resistances Rabies will finish him off in due time.

The other, riskier tactic is to go 2 hander against them. This poses problems due to Grief being such a deadly charge weapon. If a Smiter chargers you and realizes that you don't have a shield then you're basically dead. However, you can negate this advantage if you stay just out of Smite range (normally range 2) yet stay close enough to avoid getting chained Charged. If they're using a Grief PB then it won't be terribly hard to judge distance. With Zerker things get even more difficult.

Bowazon:

This match up can either be really easy or turn really bad surprisingly fast. They key here is speed. If you can get within range before they deal a large amount of damage you pretty much win. You could FC the Zon. However, I find the Rabies is the much safer bet since you'll only get a few attacks in before they start their run a few steps, shoot a few strategy. Bite them once, walk away, and wait (if you're evil :p). NEVER run directly at a Bowazon. Most of the good ones have Knock Back on their gloves and will make it so that you never reach them. Approach at an angle, causing the initial volley of arrows to miss. By running in unpredictable patterns towards her, you can get within attacking range before you suffer any serious damage. Another thing to remember is that most of them will have some very poor resistances. A well placed fissure can actually take most of them out, preventing you from ever having to go into melee range. If they have somehow managed to get a good amount of fire resistances stacked, you can also place a volcano under them. Usually, a volcano will lock an Amazon up in dodge animation for long enough that you can actually teleport to them, shift, and get a rabies bite on them.

WW Barbs:

This can be a hard match up depending on if the Barb knows how to Tri Whirl. Max DR and a shield is a must. Normally, the first priority is to infect them (yes I said it) with Rabies. Once they're all green and red walk a safe distance then switch. After that you can either dodge until they die, or shift FC every time they come in to attack you. Be careful though, good Barbs can hit you at least 4 times per whirl.

Of course, you can also play like a Fire Druid and just lay Fissures under them all day. If you can get a Rabies bite initially, then you can just start laying the fissures and teleporting form side to side, forcing them to drag across them.


ES Sorcs:

Load up on FRW, resist, and FHR. Spirit could be worth swapping in for the FHR and some resists. This is relatively defensive duel. Dodge spells as best as possible, running in random patterns to give the Sorc a harder time aiming. While FC will probably put a nice dent in the energy shield, rabies is going to be a lot more useful here. Even if they do have good life and a 5K ES (as a good number do now on east) rabies with the Dweb switch will eat them for dinner, as it'll go right through. Once again the tricky party is getting to them, patience and attacking when they slip up is key here. Try laying a volcano at your feet, shifting and waiting for them to come after you.


Bonemancer:

FRW and FHR will be you friends here again. Spirit over SS this match too. Once again, avoid the spells as best as possible in the pursuit. Rabies and Fireclaws will both go through Bone Armour, so use either as you best see fit. If the Necro is playing defensively and Tele-ing a lot, rabies may be the better option. though the extra life and faster attack in Bearform might be useful if you need to tank and land multiple hits (as this'll probably do more damage quicker than waited for rabies to run its course). Hope not to get Prisoned, though if you're using 'enigma,' a quick Unshift + Tele might get you out. This is a tough duel for most any build, especially for one that has to run after its prey. If they do have minions, be sure to bite them for the application to the Necro when he/she Tele's next.

Another strategy is: Possibly a better way to duel a Bonemancer is to load up on FCR and FHR, and teleport around looking for his minion stack to bite. After you get that bite, you can start teleporting around and laying fissures at your feet. If you're running from Spirits you can lay a Fissure in front of you, that way when the inevitable prison comes it won't even slow you down. If they Tele away from you name lock them and continue to cast Fissures on them until they are off your screen.

Screen Shots:

This is my common Flaming Rabies gear setup with some pictures to help you all get an idea of what to expect. I am using:
Shael Jalals
Light Plate Enigma
Ber Stormshield
Arachnids Mesh
Aldurs Advance
Trang Oul's gloves
Maras, Ravenfrost, Bul Kathos
110ias 30 resist Phase Blade
C/T/A and Spirirt switch and Death Web/ 20/-20 Switch


http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/ind...riendID=15087235&albumID=0&imageID=1928265158

http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/ind...riendID=15087235&albumID=0&imageID=1928270531

http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/ind...riendID=15087235&albumID=0&imageID=1928274608

http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/ind...riendID=15087235&albumID=0&imageID=1928280629

Conclusion:

The Flaming Rabies hybrid for 1.11b+ is a versatile character for both PvP and PvM. It has three very strong attacks, Rabies, Fissure, and Fireclaws, as well as the ability to use a fourth damage attack if all else fails. It can go both melee and ranged, and doesn't lack for either hit points or damage. This build will provide you with countless hours of enjoyment, many possibilities, and abilities that many other builds just plain lack. We hope that you have lots of fun both making and dueling with this. Cheers!

Credits:
Kaz - For the name 'Flaming Rabies'
electricblue - For all of his preliminary testing
Queen Mebd
Jary
Stifmeizter
Barnical
lyanswolf - for testing this out first
Kiba
Superjayson
Voice
The East and West druid groves
All of the Druid fanatics out there!
 
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